The new rolling stock manufacture company, Turasas, started fast.
Turasas, which was founded in March 2020 by merge of 3 affiliate companies of TCDD, Tuvasas, Tulomsas and Tudemsas, took attention with a couple of important initiatives in its first year.
Won the first important tender
The affiliate companies were mainly supplying TCDD Tasimacilik. Turasas, just after kick off, had participated the tender of Gaziantep Municipality for 8 suburban sets (32 cars). Early this week, it’s announced that Turasas is awarded for the tender. Municipality had agreed for a fund of € 63mn from IsDB. Turasas will produce its own suburban set for this tender, where prototype will be ready by next year, which is expected to use same body of its electric train set.
Gaziantep suburban project: Gaziray
The scope, route, stops and history of railway project connecting Gaziantep to suburban areas:
Electric train set is on rail
Electric train which was designed by Turasas is on the agenda. The electrification of Turkish rail network covers important passenger routes. Electric sets are prefered more and more because of operational and economical reasons. Thus, more electric sets will be needed as pandemic ends and passenger services start.
The works for electric train started at the time of Tuvasas. The first prototype was on rail in summer for test run and batch production is announced to start next year.
New platform for Turasas’s locomotives
Turasas’s hardest duty is electric locomotive for heavy freight. TCDD Tasimacilik and two private operators need electric locos. The new generation electric loco, E68000, produced under license of Hyundai Rotem, has not recived any other after the first order of TCDD Tasimacilik for 80 locos. Omsan had started operation with renting locos from TCDD Tasimacilik, prefering older locos, E43000 (Toshiba). Another private operator, Korfez Ulastirma, prefered hybrid locos of Stadler.
Tulomsas had announced its first main line electric loco, E5000, which was designed in Turkey, based on the experience of electric shunting loco, E1000. However Turasas has recently announced the new loco platform of CoCo type, being developed by Tubitak.
Many professionals in Turkey believe that CoCo type locos are more succesful in transportation of heavy load in Turkey’s sloping rail network. Turasas’s new platform will be used commonly by electric, diesel and hybrid locos. Turasas will most probably replace E5000 with more powerful loco on this platform.
Cover photo: Turasas ©
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